He Cried A Silent Storm
by Legato1
Summary: Legato Blusummers has always been loyal to his Master. But when he begins to uncover bits and pieces of his past and discovers the truth, can he continue his devotion to the one he calls Master?
1. Default Chapter

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A Note From The Author

It is highly recommended you read this and understand what I am about to say here, before indulging right into this story.

My first warning. This story will hint at and possibly contain actual spoilers from the anime series. You have been warned.

My second warning. The way I have this story envisioned, a lot of it will go against the actual story line of the Trigun world. A lot will remain the same, but a lot will change. I hope you will find MY version just as entertaining.

I do suppose I need to explain how I came up with the idea for this story. It is rather complicated really, but I will try and make it as easy to understand as possible. I cried when Wolfwood died in episode 23. I cried again when Legato passed on in the very next episode. It really got me thinking, how can somebody hate themselves so much that they would welcome death as eager as Legato was?

Yes, we always hear people committing suicide because they can't stand to live anymore, but Legato's case seems to be different. Perhaps I will explain this in more detail as I write this story, no guarantees. Anyway, that night, I had a dream. A dream which I still pretty vividly remember; It was about the past; the past of planet Gunsmoke and the past of Legato Bluesummers. What I dreamt that night, was something I could probably never create in reality as I did in my dreams. I can remember waking up the next morning, and feverishly writing down everything I could remember. The ideas I wrote down, I will somehow be weaving together, to this story you are about to read.

I am a very slow writer. I am a perfectionist. I will not submit another chapter until I am beyond satisfied with it. I also suffer from bouts of writer's block. (Don't we all?) In short, if you plan on sticking with me during what I hope will be an epic of a tale, you better hope you make plans to stay for the long haul.

A complex, unique character like Legato deserves this. I will not disappoint him.

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Prologue- The Man In The White Coat

What caused people to fear the man in the white coat? They stood a hundred strong, give or take a few all were armed. Some possessed pocketknives, pitchforks, pots and pans while others deferred to using their fists. These people stood in a tightly knit circle; the man in the white coat was surrounded. Escaping by breaking through the chain of people would grant him an early death. Not that he wouldn't mind embracing Death, the most beautiful being to ever grace this hellhole of a planet, next to his Master, of course. But this man was on a mission, and no one was going to stop him, no one.

"You fucking bastard! You'll pay with your life for what you did!" a beefy-built, middle-aged man shouted, breaking the subdued silence. His pitchfork was raised high up into the air, a mad glint in his eye, "My wife...my wife...she's dead!"

"My only son, Sam. He died because of you!" another nameless man shouted, teeth clenched.

"Why...Why did you do this?" a elderly woman sobbed, both weather-beaten hands which were holding a broom, shaking violently from her display of emotion, "My husband of 52 years... I loved him... and he's gone, forever..."

The man in the white coat still stood, composed and relaxed. In fact, he hardly seemed distressed by his current predicament. His right eye remained closed the entire time; no one could tell if his left was open or not to watch their pained faces since locks of cobalt blue hair neatly fell over and covered the left side. The right corner of his mouth curled upwards just slightly, into a devious smirk. 

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Doesn't this scene look familiar to you? He thought to himself, _Like deja vu._

Humans, these pathetic organisms hiding their fear behind whatever they could scrap together, to salvage as reasonable weapons was worthy of a faint chuckle. He could almost lick the sweet flavor known as fear off their sweaty cheeks. He could never recall it tasting so good. He got immense hidden pleasure from it. These townsfolk hands aren't dirty from the blood of others. They never could kill another human being. Hell, they would be plagued with nightmares for the rest of their lives, should they slain the man in the white coat.

This characteristic of not taking the life of someone else reminded him of the man in the red coat, the one in which he seeked.

Vash the Stampede: The name left a bad taste in his mouth.

"You'll pay for this...with your life!" one shouted behind him. All they could do is make empty threats; none of them could react. This "fear" has paralyzed them. How foolish. They just have to rush the inevitable and meet the fate of their kith. They were going to die tonight. How the man in the white coat envied them. 

How he could describe what he did to his victims, he could not. Before he knew it, they were dead. Sometimes, he made it fast; sometimes he made it painstakingly slow. It all depended on his mood. Right now, he had very little patience and was in a hurry to be somewhere soon. He made it fast.

Walking over the bodies of the dead was almost second nature to him. With all whom he has killed in the blink of an eye, he never was traumatized on how many died because of him. His justification might have been because the end was near anyway, and he simply was doing them a favor by ending their pain of living that much sooner. Or perhaps, perhaps it was for another reason, a reason he could not quite pinpoint. He shrugged it off; of course he did it for his Master!

The man in the white coat headed west, as the double suns fell over the horizon behind him, allowing the triple moons of planet Gunsmoke to rise, blanketing the planet into the depths of the night.


	2. The One I Call Master

Chapter One- The One I Call Master 

Note From The Author: Thanks to all who have R&R this so far. I hope you'll continue reading and offering me your input, which does matter to me. Basically this is another chapter setting up the stage for the main story, I think there will be a lot of chapters like that, so just bear with me ^_^x (little Kenshin face XD). Now on with the regularly scheduled program…

***

Sand: nothing but sand. On such a desert planet, water was scarce. It was rather ironic that this precious water which was vital to sustaining life here, was actually a luxurious commodity. It never rained here. On such a dry, sun-baked terrain, it truly became a survival of the fittest. In the end though, it wouldn't matter. Master will take good care of them.

Master. His sole purpose for carrying out his meager existence was for the one whom he looked up to for strength and support. He needed his Master for without Him, he would just be another lost, wandering soul traveling these desert plains. But Master spoon-fed him everything he needed to know, everything he did, he did for Him. He would happily die if that were what He so desired. 

Sadly though, Master did not think of him as anything more than a speck of dust. Just like garbage, you use it for its desired purpose, and then you throw it away. He wondered just how much longer he would be good for Him until he spoiled, and would be sent on his final mission, to dance with the Devil himself, Vash the Stampede. It was only a matter of time. The clock was slowly ticking, and his hatred for this man grew with every passing second.

But he bottled up this bitter distaste for him for the day would come when he would meet the one his Master called "Brother". Legato Bluesummers wished Master would call him brother. If he was granted one wish, and one wish only, he knew what he would indeed wish for.

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For myself to be the Brother that my Master never had. I wish, in my Masters' eyes, I were his Brother.

Instead, he would have to settle for being his second-in-command, the faithful servant at his Masters' side. In reality, Legato was just an obedient dog. He sat when his Master told him to sit, he killed when his Master told him to kill, and he would even roll over and bark if that would please Him. 

Legato must have been standing there for only five minutes, but it felt as if Time was slow on its eternal march. If he could cry, he would have drowned this thirsty planet with his salty tears. But he never cried he never showed emotion. To him, to display any form of emotion was a sign you were weak. Legato considered himself far from weak. He was strong, but worthless compared to Master. He hated himself; he hated himself because he could never be what his Master wanted. 

He was his religion- He was his God. 

He relinquish the thought, locked it away again, as the familiar sound of a carriage rattling and the faint cries of the two Thomas' pulling its cargo pitched itself into Legato's ear. He lifted his chin up just a hair, enough though for the arrogance to return to his posture. His stony gaze locked onto the side door as the carriage came to a stop. The door moaned loudly as it was opened, and a suave-looking man appeared, his right hand grasping the handle, the left on a shiny saxophone.

"You are late." Legato commented quietly.

"My deepest apologies." the saxophone carrier looked around nervously to his left, then right, then left again, before he looked back down at Legato. He avoided his right eye, which was now open. Legato knew no human could stare into that menacing eye of his; it was pretty much his trademark. The man wondered if Legato would make him suffer for being behind schedule. He had heard rumors that he was very lethal, very deadly. However, Lady Luck seemed to play to his favor tonight as Legato made no such action towards him.

"It doesn't matter." he took the first step slowly, and then paused, looking behind him and up at the moons. How the blue one particularly caught his eye. "You know where we must head."  
  
"Of course…June City."


	3. The Unsuspecting Butterfly

Chapter Two- The Unsuspecting Butterfly  
  
A Note From the Author- Wow. it's been awhile since I updated, heh. Actually, I have more written to this chapter (cause I wanted the chapters to be ~longer~), but I reached a certain point where I'm kind of *stuck*, meaning I KNOW what I want to happen next, but cant think of the right words to put it as, and I'm not going to write crap just for the sake of getting another chapter out. Also, the next few chapters will be a bit more Midvalley-centered, but you'll see why soon enough, I'm hoping. Anyway, here it is. ^_^  
  
***  
  
The ingredients that created the planet was an easy recipe to master, one that was stale in the mouths of its inhabitants. The dry sand starched with the bitter taste of blood, the sweat and tears originating from the hard labor, daily hardships, and meaningless sacrifices. Despite all of these difficult obstacles to overcome, humans strived to carry on with their wasteful existences anyway. What was to be gained by preserving the human race? It's a question that plagued his thoughts constantly, a true enigma of the parasites flocking about without a care in the world of those around them. Life was an uphill battle, surely they would welcome their superior in every aspect to carry their burden, allow them to reach their end.  
  
Amber eyes seemed to glow from behind their curtain of steel-blue hair to the saxophone player seated across from him. Dubbed the name, Midvalley the Hornfreak, Master gave very little information about this character. Legato studied with a critic's eye the one Master deemed worthy enough to work by His side, to temporarily escape the glorious wings of Death. No human being could be classified as worthy. It boggled all of Legatos' senses. He felt he was being left out of the loop, and he probably had a damn good reason to be too. After all, he was merely human too. He was capable of mistakes, capable of not being able to comprehend the true scope of his Masters' plans. Legato was human, he'd admit that much. But he also felt superior to his own species. No mere mortal could manipulate another's actions. That reassured him, as his conscious reasserted his purpose for remaining loyally by his Master's side.  
  
Despite the consistent, frosty glare he gave this man, Legato had to admit to himself the aura this Hornfreak possessed appealed to him. If the situation was different, he would make a decent right-hand man by Legato's side, but he would never go so far as trusting him. Legato never trusted anyone, save Him of course. The world was full of liars, cheaters, and con artists. Oh yeah, there were also those cold-hearted murders too.  
  
Legato guessed he could classify himself as one too.  
  
Midvalley meanwhile continued to keep his train of thought on anything but his current predicament.  
  
Dammit, how the hell did I wind up in this goddamn mess?  
  
Midvalley closed his eyes, pretending to be dozing off for a quick nap in front of Legato. Instead, his thoughts, his emotions dragged him back to the past- only 3 days ago precisely to when he could call life more "normal" by his standards.  
  
Flashback  
  
"Goodnight. See you guys tomorrow." Midvalley called over his shoulder to the two retreating figures that were his fellow band mates.  
  
It was the end to another night of performing in front of some of Gunsmokes' most distinguished political leaders and wealthly entrepreneurs. The pay was decent, and it allowed him to do what he enjoyed most in life, besides the occasional booze and double-dollar whore, and that was committing his life to the saxophone.  
  
He was a child prodigy to the world of music, he could play them all: the guitar, the piano, the drums, etc. To him, to learn the basic fundamentals on how to master each instrument was as easy as tying your shoe. But, his heart belonged to the saxophone. Midvalley felt as if he was in a whole nether world once his lips contoured the mouthpiece to his beloved Sylvia.  
  
Ah, Sylvia. We've been through so much, haven't we? Midvalley silently communicated to his prized instrument, running a callused hand down her spine.  
  
He wandered down the streets of York that faithful night passing the drunks, the gamblers, and even that prostitute that flashed her cleavage in front of Midvalley's face. It was so hard to resist not scooping that delicate body into his strong arms and whisking her away back to his apartment where he could give them a night neither would forget anytime soon, but his eyelids weighed heavy as they yearned for sleep. Both settled for their lips locking in a kiss that made Midvalley's insides burn, burn to let himself enter this tender creature, as he slipped a wad of cash into her bosom.  
  
It was so very hard to walk away.  
  
"A splendid performance tonight. It was quite soothing to my ears."  
  
Midvalley paused in mid-step, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.  
  
"Glad you enjoyed it." And with those words, he continued forth down the dirt road.  
  
"I don't believe I was finished talking."  
  
"Didn't know you had more to say."  
  
"You really should be more aware of your surroundings." Footsteps trailed close behind, "Otherwise, the spider just might get the jump on the unsuspecting butterfly."  
  
"Yeah? Well, maybe I should spread my wings and fly away, unless you can give me a good reason why I should stop now." Midvalley turned the corner onto a deserted side street, "Maybe then, I'll reconsider."  
  
The footsteps slowed down, then stopped.  
  
"Because you are the one I have been seeking. Midvalley the Hornfreak, leader of the Gung-Ho Guns."  
  
flashback end *** And thank you for those who have, and will R&R this. feedback means a lot to me! ^_^ 


	4. The Calm Before The Storm

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Chapter Three- The Calm Before The Storm

Another Midvalley-centered chapter (as well as the next chapter), but don't fear, Legato is still the main character in this. ^_^;;…Im just establishing a plot, which is taking awhile I know, but rather take my time and explain things smoothly, rather than jumping into the fray clueless, ne? As always, your feedback means the world to me, and serves as motivation to write. Enjoy.

***

"I know you are awake. It is pointless to pretend to be sleeping in front of me."

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That voice… dammit, it's that Legato character.

Midvalleys' right eye twitched as he mentally cursed himself for being ratted out so easily. Allowing him the satisfaction of the truth, Midvalley sat upright in his seat and shifted his focus to looking out the window at the passing scenery. As if there was anything to brag over, as the carriage was now in the remote Badlands. Nothing but a true wasteland, Legato marveled silently. It truly was a sight to be seen.

Midvalley quickly became bored with window watching, and settled instead for a quick cleaning of his true companion, Sylvia. He noticed a slight dirt smudge on her neck and quickly went to work. 

***

[Flashback Continued…]

"So, you know about my dark secret. Looks like someone has been doing their homework."

"Arrogance is another fault to the human race," the figure, cloaked in the shadows murmured, as it shook its head. "And you, my friend, are merely human."

"Thank you for pointing out my shortcomings. Now tell me why you are here."

"I seek your services."

"I'm afraid I'm all booked up. Sorry man."

"I want your team of assassins to insist me in taking out a certain somebody. You will all be handsomely rewarded."

"Business before pleasure man, and like I said, I'm booked up."

"And if you didn't have a choice in the matter?"

"I'd say you're full of shit."

"Heh, I almost found that little quirk to be funny," the man sneered and just the tone in this man's voice sent a chill up Midvalley's spine. It was so empty, so malice, and yet so… "But, I only be kidding myself if I should expect nothing less from you humans which rape and starve each ecosystem you inhabit. Your kind thrives; it lives, breathes, and dies by it's own greed."

The Hornfreak felt a bead of perspiration trickle down his forehead. It was such a warm night as the scorching suns of the daylight had bowed down to their moon counterparts, yet the warmth produced still lingered heavily in the stillness of the night. 

"Perhaps I was being a bit harsh, a little too hasty perhaps? Look; at least hear out what I'm offering you. It truly is a deal no human being can resist."

The distance between Midvalley and this man was a good 5 yards, but the gap seemed to be closing in on Midvalley slowly. He felt as if though he was being drawn towards this individual with… his charm? His spirit? His way with words? But what did he say that made Midvalley suddenly so weak in the knees? 

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"Fuck. Why am I thinking such thoughts?" Midvalley shook his head and raised Sylvia up to eye level. No matter the distance, he was invincible when he used her. A few notes from her brass vocal chords would silence this man for good.

Yet no sound ever came except for the startled cry from Midvalley as he found himself falling hard, flat on his back. Microscopic specks of dust flared into Midvalley's nostrils and invaded his taste buds. But this irritating sensation was minor, compared to the pain surging throughout his entire body. His limbs began twisting in ways they were not meant to; and he soon found his uncontrollable appendages bending and shifting to their max. As much as a smidgen more would ultimately prove fatal.

"Aaah...aaah....AAH!" He felt so helpless. He wasn't used to being the victim.

"I apologize. Let me...ease the pain for you." Upon those words being spoken, it felt as if whatever was binding him down escaped out of his body like a gust of wind. Midvalley felt the sudden numbing pain inside his body slowly go away as he struggled to sit upright. 

"Come to my office, and we can discuss matters in a much more civilized manner." the man flicked his wrist, his digits lightly touching a...business card? Midvalley's mind wrestled with the idea that there was more to him then meets the eye, "What do you say, partner?" The arm extended out, offering him the card. Midvalley surpressed the urge to... do something, although he wasn't sure what as he gingerly took the card and glanced down at it. Million Knives it read in bold print. Dimitri. He replied as he slipped the card into his front coat pocket,"Yeah, I'll remember that." 

Midvalley bit his tongue, but only because he didn't sound as.. as in control as he wanted too. Somehow, both knew who was in charge here, and Midvalley certainly wasn't playing the cards in his favor. He should have demanded a new hand. But Midvalley knew he still had an ace up his sleeve, but he wasn't sure what that was either as he watched dumbstruck as the one called Million Knives blended back into the shadowy depths of the night with these final words:

"I'll be waiting for you in Dimitri. Oh, and please have the other members of your band come as well. I'd really enjoy it if you would play a number for me."

Midvalley couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. He didn't make any promises, any commitments to this person. Sure, he felt the radiating power from him...or somewhere close to him, and would confess to himself...and possibly Sylvia... that the power was awesome. And yet...

And yet, he couldn't strip the proper word from his vocabulary to pinpoint his feelings and he scratched his head in confusion. Damn anything but everything. People teased him about the absurdity of his alias, and yet here he was talking to someone who calls himself Knives? 

Perhaps he should've taken up that offer with that slut earlier. That way, other than being soundly dazed and confused, he'd be dazed and confused- but in a different way of course.

Midvalley yawned louder than he meant too, and his body once again reminded him of how tired it was. Sleep commanded his thoughts and movements as he trudged across the street, and nearly passed out by a cluster of trashcans as he swayed and leaned against a lamppost. A black cat with seemingly glowing, transparent eyes meowed irritably at him as it clambered out of a trash can and scampered across the street. That was when, for the first time since his encounter, he noticed how quiet the streets were. Almost a little too quiet.

It truly was the calm before the storm.

***

Up above, on the rooftop of an abandoned warehouse, two figures watched Midvalley as he looked dumbfounded by the people lying in the streets as they began to stir, wondering what had just happened.

"Master…" the tall, slender figure stepped up from behind the one he was addressing and got down on one bent knee, "I have done as you instructed. Shall we depart?"

"Yes Legato," Knives grinned wickedly, watching with ice blue eyes at the one who was going to help him fill in the missing pieces to his master plan, "We have much to prepare."

***

"Dimitri? But isn't Dimitri suppose to be a ghost town since that mysterious incident a few months ago?"

The Hornfreak acknowledged his guitarist question with a curt nod, stuffing his hands into his pant pockets. He wasted no time heading across town to his bandmates' apartment. The time to act was now. However, the uneasy expression painted so easily on his face told all.

"Look," Midvalley sighed, "A gig is a gig and we need the publicity, am I right?"

"But Dimitri man. I don't think even if I was paid the same amount of cash as the bounty on the Humanoid Typhoon, nothing could get me to step one foot inside that city."

"Stop being so childish RatTail." But Midvalley knew his friend had a valid point. Weighing his options to go or not to go was taunting. He didn't promise Knives anything but deep down he was... scared. What might happen if he didn't go to Dimitri? He'd rather not find out. But there was that startling fact surrounding all those mysterious disappearances in the city itself. Every last man, woman, and child just vanished into thin air and yet, Knives runs his business in a deserted place? Something wasn't adding up. He decided to get another opinion.

"Boomer. What's your take on all this?"

The drummer looked up from his copy of "Slutty Girls" magazine, and simply gave his shoulders a slight shrug before returning to the delights of naked young women photographed in various, scandalous poses. 

"Dammit Boomer. Stop giving yourself an orgasm over there and help poor Midvalley out here. He obviously stressing about whether or not we should play in Dimitri, but I say even a dumb fuck wouldn't even so much as think about that place. As far as I'm concerned, Dimitri no longer exist in my eyes, my man Hornfreak."

"I'm sure Midvalley has his reasons for wanting us to go," Boomer said as he turned the page, "He's the boss, so we should do what he says."

"Yeah, but I can't help but feel that you're hiding something from us. You never really pressed the issue whether we should play a gig somewhere or not before and now... I mean, no offense, but you look pretty fucked up yourself now and I don't think it's because you had a good time with a random hooker on the street. What's going on?"

"Nothing RatTail. Nothing at all." Midvalley really hated to lie to his good friends, but if they knew the real reason for going to Dimitri, he'd have a snowballs' chance in hell of convincing them on going then. Not to say it wasn't difficult now, at least persuading RatTail was but still...

Taking a deep breath, he knew what he must say next.

"I've made up my mind. Pack your bags because we're going to Dimitri."

[Flashback End...]

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The carriage containing its precious cargo arrived in June City at approximately six-hundred hours. Midvalley noticed where they stopped at was a deserted side-street with nothing but broken-down buildings surrounding the area and trash littered about. They definitely were in the poorer-end of town. But why would Legato instruct the driver before boarding the carriage to stop here of all places? Legato twisted the ancient-looking door knob with a monotonous squeak and slipped out. Midvalley slid out of his seat as well and welcomed the opportunity to stretch his aching limbs after such a uncomfortable ride. The carriage driver dropped the reins controlling the two Thomas' and approached Legato. Midvalley slipped to the back, preparing to take his luggage down.

"Excuse me Mister," the driver voiced nasally, "The fare for this ride is 80 double-dollars. If you would please..." He smirked, revealing his decayed smile as he opened his left hand, awaiting payment.

Legato, whose sights were set elsewhere raised a skeptical eyebrow down to the driver.

"80 double-dollars, you say?"

"And a tip on top of that would be extra generous Mister. Heh." His beady eyes twinkled at the thought of all the money he was about to make. 80 double-dollars was a lot to brag about. An added tip on top of that would defidently make his day.

"A tip, hmm?"

All Midvalley heard after that was the gargling sounds of the driver as the breath seemed to die in his throat. His lifeless body slumped heavily on his side, the twinkle lost from his eyes permanently.

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"Ruthless." Midvalley grabbed both his saxophone case, plus a suitcase carrying his belongings and set them down. He began to reach for Legato's stuff when he realized he didn't bring any luggage with him. Legato nonchalantly passed the dead man as he approached Midvalley, his attention refocused on what he was observing before. The double suns began to wake up with the rest of the city as the first rays of sunlight spread like the wings of an eagle across the crisp earth. 

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"Another day we get to live. Just how many more sunrises will I see before my time is up?" Legato questioned himself with an underlying tone of sarcasm at the very thought. He really had nothing to live for anymore. He never did for as far back as he could remember. He merely was a tool for his Master. A tool. Legato snorted lightly and shook his head once, as Midvalley was now placing his saxophone carefully inside the case, then snapping it shut firmly. Legato dully noted how obsessed he seemed to be with a stupid musical instrument. 

Humans really were pathetic.

"So, where are we staying at during our little business trip?" Midvalley asked, standing up to his full height. Up until now, he knew he was tired physically but didn't realize how tired he was mentally.

"At the Jade." 

"Ah. A swanky joint alright. You sure know how to spend the dough on the best, huh? You're a classy guy, and I like that."

"I personally don't care. Money is of little consequence to me," Legato continued walking, his back now to Midvalley, "Just make sure the Gung-Ho Guns and yourself are at the Slingin' Saloon at noon sharp." A pause in both gait and speech as he slowly and deliberately looked back over his heavily armored shoulder and added, "And don't be tardy, Hornfreak." His golden eyes glazed over and narrowed to mere slits, as if to serve as a final warning before he departed once again.

"Heh, I'll try to remember that Bluesummers." Midvalley picked up his belongings in both hands, looking in the opposite direction that Legato went. If memory served him correctly, the Jade was a good 20 minute stroll from here. Luckily, his "employer" already reserved an entire floor for him and his team and it wouldn't cost them a single sea-cent. Anxious to meet the rest of the Gung-Ho Guns again, Midvalley began the short trek towards the hotel. He had to let them in on his little plan after all.

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To Be Continued...


End file.
